‘Waste-to-energy' treatment plant mooted for Brahmapuram

Kerala State Pollution Control Board (PCB) has recommended a ‘waste to energy' technology for the proposed solid waste treatment plant of the Kochi Corporation at Brahmapuram.

Stating that the board will closely monitor each and every step being initiated by the civic body regarding the new plant, K. Sajeevan, board chairman, told The Hindu on Monday that the Kochi Corporation could suggest a ‘workable model' for the new plant. “But it should get the clearance of the board,” he said.

Stating that the waste to energy process involves creating energy in the form of electricity or heat from the incineration of waste source, Mr. Sajeevan said that the board has suggested that the corporation authorities could set up a temporary plant at Brahmapuram in the initial phase.

The new plant could be established later after ensuring its feasibility, he said.

Making it clear that the board will not allow the Corporation to pollute the nearby Kadambrayar in the future, Mr. Sajeevan said that a scientific land development plan should be implemented in the region before going ahead with the new plant.

A strong boundary that would prevent the leakage of leachate from the site should be set up by the civic body, he said.

The board has categorically pointed out that the site could not be turned into a landfill considering the experience of the now defunct plant and its operational method adopted there. Investigations conducted by the board found that only five per cent of the waste taken to the plant after its installation was used for composting triggering several health and environmental issues in the region.

The board also found that the daily waste generated in areas coming under the corporation would be about 150 tonnes and not 350 tonnes a day as claimed by the corporation authorities.

Mr. Sajeevan said that the board will inform the government that the technology adopted at the waste treatment plant at Coimbatore was not feasible for Kochi. It will be really difficult to quench the smell emanating from the plant going by the technology adopted for composting.